So, iPhones charge at the same rate as Androids? Then why is my N5 charging so much slower via the laptop? Sorry, I'm confused.
They draw the same amount of current on a laptop, the maximum of 500mA per the USB spec.
Where the current gets used varies by device.
Androids love more current so that they can fast charge. iPhones don't so you never see a charging difference with those, laptop or not.
And quite often it's a matter of what is running in the background.
It's hard to get much running in the background on an iPhone by default and design. (Not being a hater, that's about iOS design and multitasking.)
Androids are easy to get a LOT running in the background. Sometimes more than you want.
When your screen is off, it should go quiet.
Check out "GSam Battery Monitor"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gsamlabs.bbm
You can use the graph, then Other button to see if your phone is staying awake when the screen is off. View in landscape for a better look.
As jhawkkw mentioned though - due to changes introduced back in Jellybean, as well as the current limiting, Androids do charge slower off of USB.
But it's offset by the larger battery.